Did you know? #3: Pirates Of The Caribbean's Pirates Dice

Pirates Dice, "a game of high seas deception" (as read on the game box by Disney Friendly Games), is a must for everyone; especially pirate wannabes, Pirates Of The Caribbean fans and people who enjoy playing board games.

Pirates Dice is inspired by the original game, Liar's Dice, thought to have its roots on South American cultures, and becoming a very popular game among pirates since the sixteenth century. It is a bluffing game for two or more players where each of them gets a cup with five regular dice. No real skills are required to play, but you must understand the rules in order to make smart moves... So YES. Luck is quite appreciated.

Pirate Dice

"A game of high seas deception"

Pirate Dice is a main part in the plot of Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest. The game plays both a drastic and crucial part in the course of action aboard Davy Jones's Flying Dutchman. This is basically how the scene goes:

Will Turner wanders through the ship at nighttime and spots the crew playing the game at a corner. His father, Bootstrap Bill, explains to him in a simple way how the game is played. Will then challenges Davy Jones to a match by betting his soul: If he lost, he would stay on The Flying Dutchman as part of Jones's crew. If he won, Davy Jones would have to give him the key drawn in a piece of parchment that he held. Never having lost a game, Jones accepts the challenge. As they play, Bootstrap Bill joins the game as well. When Will is about to lose, Bootstrap loses on purpose, preventing his son from having to pay his debt. Davy Jones then sentences Bootstrap Bill to serve an eternity on The Flying Dutchman. Here's a video with the scene:

Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest

The famous Pirates Dice scene

Although Pirates Dice's rules differ a little from Liar's Dice, both are suitable for a gameplay including bets or not. This is how to play by Pirate Dice's rules:

All the players shake their cups with the dice inside and turn them upside down. You can only see your own dice (unless you decide to cheat, which is up to you… After all, you are a pirate). The first player will announce two numbers: The first addressing how many dice he is referring to, and the second meaning the number written in such dice. For example: "5 3's" or "five threes" would mean he thinks, in total, there are five dice in the table holding the number three on top.

The next player will have to announce either a matching first number with a higher second number, a higher first number with a matching second number, or both numbers higher. It is not allowed for a player to lower a number once it has been set by a previous player. For example: If Player A said "5 3's", Player B cannot say "5 2's" or "4 3's".

Also, a player can't simply agree with the previous call during his turn. He must always choose between betting higher or calling it a bluff. The fun part is that any player can point another player's announcement as a cheat during the opponent's turn by saying "Never trust a pirate!" (in this part, I like to add a little "Aaarghh!!!" at the end of the sentence). If the one accused of cheating was telling the truth, the accuser must withdraw one of his dice from the cup. On the other hand, if the player was caught bluffing, he must be the one to take out one of his dice. This game will go on until the last pirate standing wins!

A life-or-death matter

Davy Jones and Will Turner playing Pirates Dice

The point of the game is being able to cheat without being noticed and being smart enough to discover those who cheat. The art of bluffing in this game may take a lot of practicing. Beginners are most likely to be caught cheating than more experienced players; but don't you worry. If you have some pirate soul in you, I'm sure you'll be ready to master the game!